Small business web development is something which unfortunately even to this day is rarely understood. There are two main schools of thought which surround it – those small business owners who look for the designer who has created the most attractive and professional websites in the past and those who want a website to get results.

I would suggest that as a small business owner you should be looking for a web developer who possesses the second skill. I don’t necessarily mean to find a developer who makes *ugly* sites, but it is important that you consider how you are going to benefit from your website before you start building it.

In other words you need ot start with the end in mind. Too many small business owners and web developers themselves focus firstly on making an attractive website with a real “wow” factor. Then they sit down to try and figure out how to market it effectively so that you actually get the end result you’re looking for – more customers or clients for your business without having to spend an arm and a leg to get them.

As I’m sure you can imagine, not only is this backwards but can also lead to frustration. So for best results, start out with the end in mind.

You need to find a professional in the realm of small business web development who specializes in building websites that get results – rather than just look nice. Find someone who knows how to design a site so that it will draw potential customers from the search engines each day and it won’t be too long before you start to notice some significant improvements in your profits as a result.

Finding a web development company to create a website for you may seem daunting, but it isn’t. It’s all in the references and prior work that these companies have done!

The biggest reason you are creating a website is to get traffic and therefore, more new customers–correct? There is an easy way to figure out whether a potential web developer will get you these big numbers. First, visit some websites that this developer has created for other people. Figure out what the company that particular website is for does and, in a separate browser window, do a general search pertaining to what that company does (be sure to omit the exact name of the company or their slogan, if they have one). Does the company come up in the first handful of search results? If you have gotten to page three or four of the search results and yet to find that company, then something is wrong.

Once you’ve done your research on all these potential web development companies, have then come in for a visit. Discuss what you have in mind for your own website and see what these companies have to say. Do they offer constructive feedback on what will work and what may not? Do they agree to do every single thing you lay out? Do they disagree with everything? You want a company that is willing to take your idea and run with it by improving it and creating something beyond your expectations, and this cannot be done with a developer that agrees (or disagrees) with everything you suggest.

Lastly, discuss pricing. If a particular company seems like a brilliant fit for you, both through your private research and the interview, but they give you a price that seems a little high, then don’t dismiss them immediately. “You get what you pay for” is true in this case, and keep in mind that the extra costs may be quickly paid for by increased search engine hits and new customers.

If you’re a young person finishing high school, you had good grades, you’re sharp, you love computers, and you have financial backing…you might just be headed off to college to master the art of higher learning. However…let’s say you’re not. Let’s say that the college opportunity door opened, then closed, and you’re still standing where you were without having gone through it. SURE, you can go to college now, but do you want to?

Let’s say instead that there were a way to earn very good money in the real world, but without having to spend the next 3 or 4 years of your time (to say nothing of your money) learning a trade that may or may not pay off for you. Let’s say that you could simply apply yourself to being your own teacher, and still come out on top. That is precisely what is possible in our day and age, and precisely what you’ll need to do to make yourself a Web developer without going to college.

Okay, it’s time to talk details. Let’s start with basic computer skills. If you’re not computer literate at this point, then you’re not necessarily in the wrong place (i.e., wanting to become a Web developer), but it might just be that you’re here at the wrong time. First, become computer literate. There are other classes that are built for that. Go do that, then come back here. However, if you are computer literate, take the first step toward becoming a Web developer…and this will involve a trip to Borders, or Barnes & Noble, or whatever bookstore is close by.

#1 – Buy yourself a coffee, then go look at the Computer Programming section of the bookstore. When I first took this step, it was recommended to me that I buy Sam’s Teach Yourself ASP.NET in 21 days. I bought it. It’s a great book, but nobody told me that page one of that book is still like Greek to a true beginner. Thus, first pick up the newest teach yourself ASP.NET for true beginners and you’ll be off on the right track. Then find Sam’s Teach Yourself ASP.NET in 21 Days, or some such “instructor’s manual”.

#2 – Now, organize your schedule. You’ll be needing the next few months to BEGIN to teach yourself this trade. Decide on a truly reasonable schedule that you can live with over a relatively long period of time. It’s much better to study for one to two hours daily than for 12 hours straight on the weekend. Find the time…then sit down in front of your computer, open the first book to page one, and begin to read.

#3 – Be a kind teacher. The really cool teachers that we remember from school were the ones that were kind, but at the same time, could really teach us something. Be that way with yourself. When you’ve been studying for a few days and you shut your book, drop your head into your hands, and say, “I’ll NEVER get this!”, then be kind to yourself. Recognize that nobody got it in the first couple of days, weeks, or even months. It takes time, but you have to keep moving forward. When you get worn down, depressed, or just feel like giving up, take a break! Go make a coffee, take a nap, or whatever relaxes you. Then come back and before opening the book again, stop and ask yourself this one, simple question: What do I know right now about this subject that I did not know when I started? Chances are very, very good that you will answer that question with quite a few things that you’ve learned. Thus, you ARE INDEED learning.

#4 – Find a way to enjoy what you are learning. When we actually enjoy something, we will keep doing it. Thus, when teaching yourself to become a Web developer, don’t forget to isolate what it is that you enjoy most about the tasks that the books/manuals give you, and then capitalize on those! Share them with your family and/or friends. Live it up. Enjoy yourself.

#5 – Once you have worked hard for months at this “project”, chances are that you’ll be wanting to start to earn money at it.

Stay tuned for the following article about how to take your training to the next level…and actually earn some money!